In order to connect the computer of a user/subscriber to one or more networks or other online services, a variety of gateway devices have been developed. For example, one advantageous gateway device is described by U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,892, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The gateway device can serve as a gateway to the Internet, an enterprise network, on-line services, or other networks. In addition to serving as a gateway, the gateway device can automatically adapt to the protocols and other parameters utilized by the host computer, in order that the host computer can communicate with the network in a manner that is transparent both to the user/subscriber and the network. Once appropriately connected to the gateway device, the computer can communicate via the network, such as the network at a hotel, at home, at an airport, or any other location, in order to access other networks, such as the enterprise network, or other online services, such as the Internet. In this fashion, the gateway device is capable of providing network access and network maintenance to the user/subscriber and the network operator. Accordingly, gateway devices can communicate with a variety of external devices.
In view of the variety of devices that can be connected with the gateway device and the variety of communication links that can be used, improvements to the gateway device are desirable.